White’s confirmation came in a recent conversation with ESPN where he referred to Demetrious Johnson’s current streak and victory over Miguel Torres as reason for receiving an October shot at current champ Dominick Cruz rather than awarding the opportunity to Faber/Bowles.

Another aspect likely considered in the case of “The California Kid” was the fact he fought Cruz earlier this month at UFC 132, falling in the end by way of Unanimous Decision. Faber entered the match-up having won back-to-back fights since dropping down from featherweight and holds an overall record of 25-5 with wins over Eddie Wineland, Takeya Mizugaki, Jeff Curran, and in a 2007 clash with Cruz.

Bowles also saw action at the July 2 event, emerging with a victory over Mizugaki after submitting Damacio Page at UFC Live 3 in his previous pairing. Bowles is 10-1 with the only flaw on his record coming as the result of an injury stoppage after breaking his hand in a WEC title-fight with Cruz.

UFC 139 is scheduled for November 19 in San Jose. The only other officially announced bout involves middleweights Chris Weidman and Tom Lawlor, though a heavyweight headliner between champ Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos has been rumored for the show.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

According to the UFC, the former 145-pound champ will face Brian Bowles, a bantamweight belt-holder in WEC, at UFC 139. It is believed the event will take place in San Jose on November 19 with a headlining heavyweight title-fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.

“Before a possible trilogy can be considered between Faber and his rival, Dominick Cruz, he will take on one of the division’s truly elite fighters,” explained promotional head Dana White. “A win over Faber would be massive for Bowles’ bid to challenge for the belt that was once his. The stakes are high and the fight will be intense.”

Both men fought earlier this month at UFC 132 with differing results, as “The California Kid” lost a Unanimous Decision to Cruz while 10-1 Bowles outpointed Takeya Mizugaki in preliminary action. The win was the second in a row for Bowles after losing his gold at WEC 47 due to an injury-related stoppage. Among his ten total victories are finishes against Marcos Galvao, Damacio Page, and Miguel Torres.

Faber has gone 2-1 since dropping to 135 pounds but holds a number of notable victories from his time in WEC including success against Jens Pulver, Raphael Assuncao, and Jeff Curran, as well as in his original 2007 match-up with Cruz. He holds an overall record of 25-5 with thirteen submissions and seven TKOs.

While Velasquez vs. Dos Santos is rumored for the show, the only other officially announced fight for UFC 139 features TUF 8’s Tom Lawlor taking on undefeated middleweight sensation Chris Weidman.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The 9-1 Bowles emerged victorious last month at UFC Live 3 after sealing the deal against Damacio Page with an opening round Guillotine Choke. The bout marked his return to the cage after nearly a year off as the result of a broken hand sustained in a losing performance against Cruz at WEC 47 and subsequent foot injury. All nine of Bowles’ wins have been the result of a finishing performance including knockouts of Marcos Galvao and Miguel Torres.

Mizugaki also found success at UFC Live 3 in the form of a Split Decision over Reuben Duran. He is 14-5-2 in his career with wins over Jeff Curran and Rani Yahya though may be best remembered by American fans for an incredibly entertaining five frame fight against Torres in 2009.

Other match-ups planned for UFC 132 include George Sotiropoulos vs. Evan Dunham, Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader, Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim, and Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben.

PHOTO CREDIT – ZUFFA/WEC

Former WEC bantamweight champ Brian Bowles earned “Submission of the Night” and $40,000 after putting Damacio Page to sleep using a Guillotine Choke with ninety seconds remaining in the opening round of their UFC Live 3 showdown. Interestingly enough, not only did the 30-year old defeat Page using the same technique at WEC 35 but both finishes came at the exact same mark. The win was the first in a year for Bowles after losing his title to Dominick Cruz at WEC 47 and subsequently being sidelined with injury as a result.

Fellow WEC alumnus Shane Roller also pocketed $40,000 for “Knockout of the Night”. Roller withstood an impressive assault from opponent Thiago Tavares in the first round of their fight but came back sharply in the second stanza with a straight right resulting in the end of the Brazilian’s night. The victory brought Roller’s win column to double digits as his overall record now stands at 10-3.

Finally, though the headlining tilt between Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez may have resulted in a debatable decision one thing impossible to argue is the level of entertainment both welterweights provided in the evening’s final fight. The two talented 170-pounders battled for three hotly-contested rounds seeing Sanchez bruised and bloodied with Kampmann also leaking crimson and nursing a possible broken hand. Their mutual performances in Sanchez’s razor-thin win netted each man $60,000 for participation in “Fight of the Night”.

UPDATE:: Yahoo Sports is reporting Dana White decided to throw an extra $100,000 on top of the $60,000 award as a means of honoring the gutsy performance both turned in.

The two started out exchanging on both the feet and canvas before a huge right hand from Bowles sent Torres sailing to the mat. From there Miguel was crushed with another vicious right hand as he was incoherently searching for an armbar. Perhaps referee Josh Rosenthal gave Torres a little too much time to recover as the former champion took several unnecessary punches before the bouts eventual stoppage.

Most of the card was spent hyping up Torres and potential challengers to his title in Takeya Mizugaki and Dominick Cruz, so it remains to be seen if he will be offered a direct rematch against Bowles or not. Following three consecutive title defenses in the WEC it would be hard to argue that he shouldn’t.

Dominick Cruz pulled off another mild shocker when he handed the favored Joseph Benavidez the first loss of his career in the form of a very hard fought decision. This fast paced bout between bantamweight challengers could easily make the claim for being “Fight of the Night”.

Takeya Mizugaki rebounded from his recent loss to Miguel Torres in the WEC by handing Jeff Curran his fourth consecutive loss in a bout the Japanese fighter controlled with strong takedowns and top control.

Also on the card was an exciting back and forth battle between Leonard Garcia and Jameel Massouh where both men had their opponent badly rocked before Garcia was eventually awarded the split decision victory.

A full list of the results from WEC 42 are listed below:

L.C. DAVIS VS. JAVIER VASQUEZ – Winner: L.C. Davis via split decision

DIEGO NUNES VS. RAFAEL DIAS – Winner: Diego Nunes via unanimous decision

RANI YAHYA VS. JOHN HOSMAN – Winner: Rani Yahya via submission (north-south choke) – Round 1

PHIL CARDELLA VS. ED RATCLIFF – Winner: Ed Ratcliff via unanimous decision

MARCUS HICKS VS. SHANE ROLLER – Winner: Shane Roller via unanimous decision

FREDSON PAIXAO VS COLE PROVINCE – Winner: Cole Province via unanimous decision

LEONARD GARCIA VS. JAMEEL MASSOUH – Winner: Leonard Garcia via split decision

JEFF CURRAN VS. TAKEYA MIZUGAKI – Winner: Takeya Mizugaki via split decision

RICARDO LLAMAS VS. DANNY CASTILLO – Winner: Danny Castillo via TKO – Round 2

JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ VS. DOMINICK CRUZ – Winner: Dominick Cruz via unanimous decision

MIGUEL TORRES VS. BRIAN BOWLES – Winner: Brian Bowles via knockout – Round 1

Good for Brian, because the man he is set to butt heads with this Sunday evening in Las Vegas at WEC 42 is widely regarded to be one of the very best pound for pound fighters walking the planet in Miguel Torres. But hey, according to Bowles there’s no pressure on his side of things. He’s not expected to win. Things can only get better.

“I’ve always done well as the underdog,” admitted Bowles. “I’ve always been the underdog in the WEC. It seems like every fight I’ve fought in the WEC I’ve been picked as the underdog, and I haven’t lost yet. Another thing about being the underdog is that there’s really not that much pressure on because if I lose, you’re supposed to beat me. Of course if I beat him I surprise everybody, so it kind of takes a lot of the pressure off.”

The native of Athens, Georgia doesn’t feel too bad about not being favored to win. It’s Miguel Torres we’re talking about here. The man is as close to a super-hero as it gets in this world. The Carlson Gracie Jr. black belt has lost just once in a career spanning close to forty fights (a decision loss he avenged by first round armbar), and hasn’t dropped a single bout in his last seventeen bouts spanning well over five years against the toughest competition possible.

That’s okay with Bowles, underdog or not Torres has never faced anyone as dangerous as him, and there’s not a man alive that’s immune to mortality.

“I think everyone he has face has been looked over,” explained Bowles. “He’s been a really dominant champion but he has never faced anyone like me yet. I think I’m his biggest threat so far. I’m the guy that has fought my way up to him. Most of the guys, like Mizugaki just came right in and got the shot. I think people are going to be really surprised. I think a lot of those other guys have put up really good showings against him. I mean Yoshiro Maeda and Takeya Mizugaki both fought him really well. I think I’m going to surprise people. It’s definitely going to be a good showing either way.”

Bowles is coming into the cage on Sunday night to inflict pain and leave with a championship belt. There’s two ways about it. Just don’t expect anything but respect from Brian in regards to the current WEC bantamweight champion.

“Miguel is really well rounded and he brings his fight to the opponent,” said the Hardcore Gym trained brawler. “He’s defended the belt well. He makes no excuses, he just performs.

“He’s been a really great champion. I’m just glad that I have the opportunity to beat him. I think I can take that role as the best 135 pound fighter that he has. It’s the second best guy against the number one guy, I think it’s going to be a really big fight for the WEC. I don’t think they have that a lot.”

Of course all of that respect goes flying out the window once that cage door slams. Don’t confuse Bowles’ respect for fear; he’s going to bring it to Torres, leave nothing in the cage, and make no excuses afterwords.

“You can’t be intimidated by him,” said Bowles. “He’s going to go out there and bring the fight to you, and you just have to do the same to him. You just can’t be afraid of him.”

First off, anyone that has seen Bowles fight will freely admit that the he carries the type of dynamite in his fists that is seldom seen from men weighing under 150 pounds. Quite frankly, if Bowles clips you it’s going to be a problem. Torres is no exception to the rule.

“I think my punching power is something that has just come natural to me,” explained Bowles. “I’ve always enjoyed the stand-up. It’s not something that I’ve really worked on. It’s just something that has come to me naturally.

“Here lately, the hardest hitter I’ve seen him go up against was Takeya Mizugaki. Other than that I haven’t really seen he’s been in there with that hits like I do.”

You’re not going to beat a champion like Torres with heavy hands alone; Something Brian is well aware of going into WEC 42. He’s far from a one-trick pony in this fight game.

“I think my wrestling is going to allow me to dictate where the fight ends up,” revealed Bowles. “I definitely don’t see him shooting on me and taking me down. I think the wrestling will definitely play to my advantage, but I think the overall skills, and the fact that I’m really well-rounded is going to give him some problems.”

Not once has Bowles been pushed to the scorecards in his professional fighting career. So one way or another this one ends early, right? Not so fast. According to the anxious title challenger anything could happen in what promises to be a wild fight, and he’s prepared for anything.

“It’s a good possibility I’ll go the distance for the first time,” confessed Bowles. “He’s been in some decisions. This is going to be my toughest challenge so far so maybe I’ll make it to a decision with him. There’s really no telling where this fight could go. It could be a knockout or a submission, you just can’t really tell exactly how this fight is going to turn out. I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”

The news of the bout was made public today in a report by MMAJunkie.com.

The two fighters were originally set to meet at WEC 40 before Bowles was forced to pull out of the fight with a back injury.

Bowles comes into this title fight with seven consecutive wins, including four in the WEC, with all four wins coming by way of stoppage. He most recently fought at WEC 37 in January 2008, where he defeated Will Ribeiro via third-round submission.

Torres most recently defeated Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision in April, in an action packed five-round fight. Mizugaki was Bowles replacement at WEC 40. It was Torres’ seventeenth consecutive victory and the WEC bantamweight champion currently sits at No. 6 in Five Ounces on Pain’s pound-for-pound rankings.

WEC 42 will take place at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The news was first reported by MMAjunkie.com.

Torres is 35-1 and is the number one ranked bantamweight, according to the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts. The 29-year old East Chicago native last competed at WEC 37 in December, where he successfully defended his title vs. Manny Tapia after TKO’ing him at 3:04 of round 2.

Torres is 4-0 lifetime while competing under the WEC banner and has defeated Chase Beebe, Jeff Bedard, and Yoshiro Maeda in addition to Tapia. Outside of the WEC, Torres holds notable victories over Charles Wilson, Bobby Gamboa, and Joe Pearson.

Bowles trains out of the Hardcore Gym in Atlanta, Georgia and is a perfect 7-0 in a pro MMA career that began in 2006. After going 3-0 on the regional circuit, Bowles was picked up by the WEC and submitted Charlie Valencia at 2:50 of round 2 during his debut for the promotion at WEC 28 on June 3, 2007. Since defeating Valencia, Bowles has added wins over Marcos Galvao, Will Ribeiro, and Damacio Page to his resume.

In addition to Bowles vs. Torres, MMA Junkie is reporting that a co-main event on the show is expected to be added featuring Jeff Curran taking on Joseph Benavidez to determine a new number one contender for the bantamweight title.

With Urijah Faber having lost his WEC featherweight title to Mike Thomas Brown at WEC 36 in early November, one could make the case that Torres is now the promotion’s top dog. But whether Torres can be a box office draw remains to be seen, as even Faber only managed to draw a 0.5 rating last month.

But Torres won’t have to carry Wednesday’s show alone, as he will be flanked by an impressive undercard that will feature top bantamweight prospects Will Ribeiro and Brian Bowles; world class featherweight newcomers Wagnney Fabiano and Akitoshi Tamura; and the WEC debut of Urijah Faber protege Joseph Benavidez.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com has a complete preview of the four bouts scheduled to make the VERSUS telecast on Wednesday.

Miguel Torres vs. Manny Tapia for Torres’ WEC bantamweight title - Torres, owner of one of the most impressive records in MMA at 34-1, is finally getting a great deal of press and is being positioned as the WEC’s number two star behind former featherweight champion Urijah Faber.

The Chicago native was recently featured on the cover of FIGHT! magazine and the added exposure has caused some to speculate that the attention might be going to his head. However, the reality is that Torres holed himself up for his most recent camp in order to shut out all outside distractions, most notably Jeff Curran’s recent calls to begin to promote a future showdown between the two.

Curran is dropping to bantamweight for his next WEC fight and has aspirations to challenge for the 135 pound title sooner rather than later. However, Torres must get past Tapia first.

Tapia, undefeated at 10-0-1, had been scheduled to challenge Torres for the bantamweight title at WEC 34 on June 1 but had to pull off the show due to injury and was replaced by Yoshiro Maeda. However, Tapia wasn’t heading into the fight with a great deal of momentum following a disappointing showing in his last fight against Antonio Banuelos at WEC 32 this past February.

Tapia was declared the winner via split decision but the outcome caused a great deal of controversy, as Banuelos was originally announced as the winner to the crowd but an error in reading the scorecards was later realized and Tapia was named the winner.

As good as Tapia is, he might be outgunned. At 5’8”, Torres is freakishly tall for the bantamweight division. Torres’ height alone make him tough to gameplan for, but his outstanding groud game and standup skills makes him almost impossible to prepare for.

While he was only just recently promoted to black belt, Torres’ jiu-jitsu has been black belt level for several years now. Tapia is no slouch on the ground, but it’s an area where he doesn’t want to test Torres. The problem is, Torres’ striking has really improved over the course of the last 2 /12 years and standing and trading with him could prove to be a losing proposition for Tapia as well.

If Tapia pushes the fight and stays in Torres’ face for five rounds, perhaps we could see an upset. But I don’t see that being the case and I see Torres being able to finish Tapia in the third round via TKO.

Brian Bowles vs. Will Ribeiro - Brian Bowles and Will Ribeiro are prime examples of why the WEC is doing away with its light heavyweight and middleweight divisions. In events prior, there likely would have not been enough room to get this fight on the air, which would have been a crime because it has the potential to contend for “Fight of the Night” honors. Furthermore, it’s paramount that the WEC begin to build fighters such as Bowles and Ribeiro up more because the winner of this fight could be challenging for the bantamweight title in short order.

Training out of former UFC fighter Rory Singer’s Hardcore Gym in Atlanta, Bowles is an impressive prospect with a 6-0 record. In three fights under the WEC banner, Bowles has won all three in two rounds or less.

Making his WEC debut against Charlie Valencia at WEC 28 in June of 2007, Bowles submitted the hard nosed veteran with a rear naked choke at 2:50 of round 2. He returned in December of the same year, knocking out Marco Galvao at 2:09 of round 2 during the undercard of the same show that featured Urijah Faber defending his title against Jeff Curran.

However, it was Bowles’ win first round submission over the Greg Jackson-trained Damacio Page at WEC 35 this past August that finally garnered him some press. That being said, Bowles is still vastly underrated and is in dire need of the television exposure that Wednesday’s show will provide.

But Ribeiro is in the same boat, because despite an impressive 10-1 record, only the hardest of hardcores know about him. The native Brazilian earned a spot in the WEC following a first round knockout over Andre Lobo during a Shooto event in Brazil.

The win over Lobo was then proceded by his WEC debut at WEC 34 this past June against former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe. Beebe, who represented Ribeiro’s toughest competition to date, would go on to lose via unanimous decision in a mild upset.

Despite his strong record, there are still questions about whether Ribeiro is truly ready to contend for the WEC 135 pound title. Most of his early wins were built up against inferior competition and his only victories over quality competition were against Beebe and William Vianna.

Beebe might be more experienced than Bowles, but Bowles still represents the greatest challenge of Ribeiro’s career. The uncertainty over Ribeiro’s degree of readiness for the spotlight makes the pick of Bowles via unanimous decision an easy one.

Wagnney Fabiano vs. Akitoshi Tamura - The WEC continues to expand its roster of talent and this bout will feature not just one, but two, top ten-caliber featherweight newcomers.

Leonard Garcia is expected to get the first crack at Mike Thomas Brown’s featherweight title but the winner of this fight could move themselves into a position where they are one to two wins away from from a shot at the 145 pound belt.

Fabiano is a former IFL featherweight champion who originally began competing for the promotion as a lightweight. The native Brazilian performed quite well as a lightweight, compiling a 4-0 record before moving down in weight. However, once he made the move, Fabiano began to earn recognition as a world class fighter.

Known for his tremendous submission game, Fabiano is an underrated wrestler. His slick jiu-jitsu coupled with his ability to control position makes him a very dangerous fighter. Making him even more lethal is are his improving standup skills. In his first IFL featherweight title defense this past April at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., Fabiano needed just one punch to knock out Shad Lierley 37 seconds in their fight.

Fabiano was favored but the quick finish was still surprising because while competing at 155 the year prior, Lierley took Chris Horodecki the distance in what will go down as one of the greatest fighters in IFL history. Already considered a top ten featherweight in most major polls, Fabiano will be a consensus top five pick if his standup continues to evolve.

Tamura is a veteran of Shooto, a Japan-based promotion that essentially the Far East equivilient to the WEC in that it features lighter weight fighters. At 12-6-2, Tamura’s record may not be the overly impressive but he’s ranked as a top ten featherweight because he’s surged over the course of the past two years.

In his last six fights, Tamura is 5-1 with his only loss coming via split decision to Hideki Kadowaki, another highly-ranked featherweight. His most recent victory was on May 3 against Rumina Sato, a lighterweight pioneer who might have been a little before his time. The year prior, Tamura avenged a previous loss to Takeshi Inoue, another fighter considered to be one of the best in the world at 145.

Tamura will be able to hang with Fabiano on the ground and may even be more versatile when it comes to the standup, however, the concern here is that Tamura is not a finisher. If it the fight goes the distance, which I believe it will, Fabiano will hold the advantage.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Danny Martinez - Benavidez is a top bantamweight prospect who will be making his WEC debut. He’s been flying under the radar for quite some time now but garnered some press after submitting Junya Kudo with a guillotine choke at DREAM 5 this past July.

Benavidez was originally scheduled to face Kid Yamamoto in that matchup, with DREAM promoters looking to capitalize on Benavidez’s affiliation with former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber. Benavidez trains out of Faber’s “Ultimate Fitness” gym in Sacramento and the idea was to play up a future dream match between Faber and Yamamoto.

Much like Faber, Benavidez is a good wrestler with a slick submission game. Undefeated at 8-0, he’s a tremendous addition for the WEC’s bantamweight division and is future championship material. However, he’s not being given a tomato can in his debut.

Martinez is 12-2 and trains out of Southwest MMA in Tempe, Arizona. Thus far, Martinez has made his bones on the Arizona regional scene competing for promotions such as Rage in the Cage and Total Combat.

TKO promoter Stephane Patry brought Martinez out to lose to Mark “The Machine” Hominick at TKO 31 in Decemember of 2007. Despite fighting a class up in weight, Martinez hung tough and took Hominick the distance, losing a unanimous decision.

Seeing Martinez win here wouldn’t be a surprise, as he might be better as far as standup. However, Benavidez has an advantage on the ground and I believe he’ll end up winning a unanimous decision.

Both men are seen as two of the top fighters in an increasingly stacked bantamweight division. This bout is of the utmost relevance to the 135 pound weight class as the winner is sure to face off with the winner off the Miguel Torres/Manny Tapia fight on the same card.

Going into his seventh professional mixed martial arts contest against Ribeiro, the Athens, Georgia native has no interest of taking things slowly during his career. Already facing and defeating top bantamweights Charlie Valencia, Marcos Galvao and Damacio Page during his 3-0 run in the WEC, the 28-year old with a knack for finishing his opponents told FiveOuncesOfPain.com in an exclusive interview that he is eager for his chance at championship glory.

Cory Brady: Thanks for taking this time with us Brian. How are you feeling right now physically in the days leading up to your fight with Ribeiro?

Brian Bowles: I feel really good. I actually feel better now than I ever have coming up for a fight. I got some really good training in. I’ve traveled around, went out of state and trained with some different guys for this one and everything’s coming together really good. I went to Ultimate Fitness for a few weeks and trained with Urijah Faber and those guys. Most of my training is done right here in Athens but then I’ll go down to Atlanta once a week and train with some other guys.

Cory Brady: So what do you know about Ribeiro and how do you feel you guys match up?

Brian Bowles: I know he trained with an Olympic boxing team and he has a brown belt in jiu-jitsu so he sounds like he’s really well rounded. From watching his tapes he seems real unpredictable and he seems to push the pace. He’s a tough opponent. I don’t think you’re going to get any easy opponents in the WEC anymore.

Cory Brady: Have you been focusing on any specific element while training for Ribeiro?

Brian Bowles: I’m just training like I always do. Just making sure that I’m in the best cardio shape that I can be and just watch some tape on him to see what he does but I don’t really change my game depending on what my opponent does. I just kind of watch them and see what they do and just train like I always train. Just train hard and make sure to get all of my boxing, grappling and wrestling in and just try to be in great shape.

Cory Brady: You’ve face some really tough opposition throughout your undefeated career. Do you think you would be in line for a title shot if you win impressively against Ribeiro?

Brian Bowles: I think so. I think it’s between me and him who should get the title shot after this but I can’t make the decisions for them I have no idea what they’re thinking.

Cory Brady: Would you be ready if you were approached about a title shot this early on in your career?

Brian Bowles: Oh definitely. Might as well.

Cory Brady: How do you feel like you match up with the current bantamweight champion Miguel Torres?

Brian Bowles: He’s a tough guy. I think I match up well with him. You never really know until you get out there and start mixing it up with somebody but I think I match up well with whoever I fight.

Cory Brady: Obviously you will be paying very close attention to the bout between Miguel Torres and Manny Tapia at WEC 37. Any thoughts on who you think has the edge in that one?

Brian Bowles: You never know in MMA, the better fighter doesn’t always win but I think that Miguel is going to be too much for him. I think he has too much reach on him.

Cory Brady: So you’ve finished every single one of your fights. Do you look for the finish or is it something that just comes?

Brian Bowles: I’m always looking for the finish. I’m always looking to just get out of there and get the win. They just seem to be coming though. I don’t know what it is. When it comes it comes and you have to make the best of it.

Cory Brady: So what does the future hold for you. What are your goals in mixed martial arts?

Brian Bowles: I hope to have a long career. I want to stay healthy, keep fighting and get bigger and bigger as the sport grows. Hopefully make some money and make a name for myself.

But times care changing, thanks in large part to World Extreme Cagefighting, which has helped expose many U.S. fans to the tremendous talent that exists in the smaller weight classes. And thanks in large part to the exploits of WEC bantamweight king Miguel Torres, the interest in the 135 lbs. division in this country has never been greater.

Torres currently sits at the top of what many consider to be a deep and healthy bantamweight division in the WEC which has experienced improved depth recently with the return of Rani Yayha as well as former WEC featherweight title challenger Jeff Curran’s decision to move down in weight.

The depth in the division has also increased thanks in large part to the development of 6-0 bantamweight prospect Brian Bowles, who improved his record in the WEC to 3-0 following an impressive first round submission over Damacio Page at WEC 35 earlier this month.

The fight, which was televised on VERSUS on a tape delay basis, was Bowles’ highest-profile victory to date and it served as a strong indication that it’s only a matter of time before he’s granted a shot at the WEC bantamweight title currently held by Torres.

In an attempt to learn more about the 28-year old up-and-comer, FiveOuncesOfPain.com recently caught up with Bowles for an exclusive one-on-one interview in which he discussed his possible return to the cage; his thoughts on Curran moving down to 135 lbs. and whether he’d welcome a match with him; how far he feels he is from a title shot; and more!

Sam Caplan: I first wanted to ask about how you first got started in MMA and how you were discovered by the WEC?

Brian Bowles: I got started when one of my friends found the Hardcore Gym and started training there. He told me about it and said he was having fun doing it and that I should come and join. I joined it and I loved it. Rory (Singer) had some connections from when he was on the reality show (second season of “The Ultimate Fighter) and just called the WEC and asked them to give me a chance and they gave me a chance. So far, it’s working out.

Sam Caplan: You’re training out of the Hardcore Gym in Atlanta with Adam and Rory Singer, which is where Forrest Griffin used to train. In addition to the Singers, who else do you work with at the gym?

Brian Bowles: At my gym, I train a lot with Stephen Ledbetter. He fought Jeff Curran. I (also) train with Jeff Bedard, Rafael Assuncao, Chad Shafer, Yayo, Junior (Assuncao) — just a lot of guys who aren’t members of the Hardcore Gym but we still get together at different gyms and train together.

Sam Caplan: It’s interesting that you bring up Ledbetter and the fact that he fought Curran. Curran recently announced he’s dropping from featherweight to bantamweight. What are you thoughts on that?

Brian Bowles: It doesn’t really matter to me either way. He’s a great fighter and I welcome the challenge. Whoever, whenever. I don’t really care.

Sam Caplan: You’re undefeated in the WEC at this point. Do you feel like you’ve been challenged?

Brian Bowles: I feel like all of my fights have been challenges. They have all been good opponents. Some of them I’ve just been lucky enough to catch and get the victory.

Sam Caplan: You were able to finish Damacio Page at just 3:30 of round 1 during WEC 35 earlier this month. Myself and a lot of people expected the fight to be a back-and-forth battle but you ended it quick. Were even you surprised how soon it ended?

Brian Bowles: Yeah, I really thought the fight was going to be able to get out of the first round. I felt it was going to be back-and-forth but you make one mistake and you give someone your neck and I’ll level it and it will all be over.

Sam Caplan: WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres says he’ll next be defending his title in Dec. Have you gotten any indication as to whether you’re under consideration for the title shot?

Brian Bowles: At first I was told that I was going to be fighting in February and here recently I was told December. They’re saying it’s not going to be Miguel and that they want me to get another victory and then possibly fight Miguel after that.

Sam Caplan: Do you think a fight against Curran is a possibility?

Brian Bowles: It’s a possibility but I have no idea who they’ve even offered. As far as I know I haven’t heard anything yet.

Sam Caplan: Who are some other fighters at 135 that you have a strong interest in fighting?

Brian Bowles: I don’t really care who I fight but I think it’s probably going to be Will Ribeiro; he’s the one who beat Chase Beebe (at WEC 34 on June 1). I’m thinking that’s who is going to be my next opponent. But I don’t really care who it is.

Sam Caplan: Who do you consider to be the top five fighters at 135 lbs. in the WEC?

Brian Bowles: Obviously, Miguel Torres. I think I am. Rani Yayha is one. Dominic Cruz is one. And Will Ribeiro. That would be my top five.

Sam Caplan: Is there anything you’d like to add in closing?

Brian Bowles: I’d like to thank a few sponsors, if possible. I’d like to thank Red Carpet VIP, Paramount Supplements, Skin Industries, H-Side MMA, Party Cove USA, and Mamouth Industries. And I’d like to thank Paul Creighton for helping me with my grappling and the guillotine that I got the win with.

Oh, and he also called me a moron! Actually, a complete utterly stupid moron. As you may or may not know, I was critical of Hackleman and Liddell on Steve’s show right after UFC 76. Normally I’d shoot back with some witty comeback but I respect Hackleman, as well as Liddell. Hackleman has been in this game for a long time and has trained champions. I think in this isolated instance (the strategy employed during the fight) is legitimate criticism. If they don’t like the messenger, that’s fine. But I don’t think Hackleman did a good job defending against the message.

He said I need to get in the cage with Jardine and see if I can defend the kicks any better. First off, Jardine is above my weight class (oh yeah, and about ten times my skill level). Even if I checked them my leg would still be jacked. But at least I’d do the basic things necessary to at least defend the kicks. Chuck didn’t. The whole “I’d like to see him get in the cage” argument is weak because I’ve actually been in the cage. I sucked royally, but I’ve been in it and will be in it again (and the next time I am you’ll see a different fighter). I’ll never come close to fighting at a pro level but I’d like to think I have a little more knowledge about actual MMA fighting than the average pundit out there.

And, and by the way, don’t think for a second I wouldn’t hesitate to spar (or fight in a sanctioned match) with a top-level pro like Jardine. He’d destroy me but I’d accept the physical punishment in exchange for the first-hand knowledge. I’d like to know precisely how hard Jardine kicks and then after extensive medical treatment try and articulate my experience to everyone in writing. If any major pro camp afforded me the opportunity to come and train with their fighters for a day or two so I could get an education in what they do I’d pay my own expenses to go out and do it.

You can click here to hear the entire interview. Hackleman acknowledged that there were some things he could have done differently in getting Chuck prepared for Jardine but he tried to downplay the leg kicks. He said Chuck worked with a K-1 fighter to train defending the kicks but that the kicks weren’t an issue.

When Steve mentioned that even Dana White questioned Chuck’s hunger, Hackleman said it was okay. Yet when someone in the media who writes on the Internet questions Chuck they are automatically labeled a moron? That’s the same mentality I’m used to dealing in other major sports where the manager or coach is second guessed. In their minds, it doesn’t matter if you’re making a valid point or not, if you’re not one of “them” then it’s impossible for you to know anything about the sport.

I’ll stop being overly-sensitive. In hindsight, my criticism was over the top and I should have softened it. I’ve got to take my medicine and it would be irrational for me to expect Hackleman to respond favorably to my comments considering how they were phrased. The context wasn’t respectful towards Liddell and Hackleman and I apologize for that, but I standby the content. How can a smart guy like Hackleman legitimately say kicks weren’t a factor and that Liddell checked most of them? I guess he and I have a different definition of checking a kick.

- Cofield also interviewed Dorian Price, who lost to Matt Arroyo on last night’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter. Click here for that audio.

- Casey Trowbridge of Combat Hooligans recently conducted an interview with Daniel Puder in anticipation of his match this Saturday for Strikeforce at the Playboy Mansion. Puder said he “doesn’t think Angle has the balls” to fight him. You can hear the show by clicking here. Casey also interviewed Puder a previous time, where he apparently said he hated fighting for BodogFIGHT. You can listen to that one by clicking here.

- Also, Matt Cava and I will be doing another edition of Inside the Cage Radio this weekend. We’ve already secured Dann Stupp from MMAjunkie.com to help recap UFC 76 and we’re working on a few other guests.

- You can still listen to last week’s outstanding edition of Inside the Cage with our special guests Kenny Florian, Ricco Rodriguez, and Joey Riggs. Just click the “play now” button below:

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